greentapestry : In A Vase On Monday ~ 'Message In A Bottle'

Monday 2 December 2019

In A Vase On Monday ~ 'Message In A Bottle'

I've moved the goalposts for this week's 'In A Vase On Monday' and have come inside. When all is said and done there is very little in flower out in the garden now. The hard frosts of the last few nights have done their damage to whatever colour was lingering.

We celebrated a wedding anniversary this weekend and to mark the occasion himself bought me a gift. Last year he kindly treated me to a beautiful orchid with small white flowers. I've amazed myself by managing to keep it alive to this very day. It was in full flower when he bought it and has a second flowering period since although the spikes have gone over in the last couple of weeks or so. When he asked me what I might like this year I suggested an orchid to see if I can keep another one going. I've never had much joy with orchids but always envied my mother's collection which grew and flourished over many years. Anyway himself presented me with a most pretty orchid, which has taken me by surprise as it is growing in a bottle. I'm really not quite sure how I'm going to keep this one ticking over. The only care instructions are to place a couple of ice cubes on the growing medium each week. Any advice would be very welcome. I will report back this time next year!


Thanks as always to the lovely Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for her weekly invitation to share our flowers on a Monday.

7 comments:

  1. Happy Anniversary to you two...such sweet blooms and the pale green seems to enhance the subtle pink and little markings...he chose well all those years ago and again now.

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  2. Happy anniversary to both of you, Anna. Well done on the success of your orchids and what a pretty shade this new one is - I can't offer any advice in this instance though

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  3. What a thoughtful gift! The orchid is beautiful in its bottle, Anna. My own husband usually brings me orchids now too, after I gently pointed out (many, many years into our marriage) that the cut flowers he used to bring me on our anniversary a few days after Valentine's Day usually looked a bit shop-worn.

    I expect you may have to remove it from the bottle temporarily to trim it back when these blooms fade but orchids are slow growers and like cozy containers so I don't imagine you'll have to size up the bottle (or pot) for at least another year. Orchids like a bit of humidity so using the bottle as a container is a clever idea,

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  4. Happy anniversary, Anna, and your orchid looks stunning. I find orchids very easy to grow, they do seem to thrive on neglect which is good as I'm often gone. Can't help you with bottle cultivation though, maybe google it. Happy December days :)

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  5. Happy anniversary to you both. No ideas about orchids in bottles but I had my success with orchids by going against all gardening advice. My orchids are in spots that should be too sunny and are very neglected. I water infrequently. They are often really dry when I remember them and I hold the pot under a fairly hot tap and let it run through the compost and let it drain through. They have flowered again and again which they never did when I looked after them ‘correctly’!

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  6. Happy anniversary. What a lovely present Anna. I think caring for your orchid in a bottle might be tricky. I don't think phalaenopsis are very well suited to it.You will have to be careful with watering or you will get green algae and the roots may rot. I flush my orchids regularly to stop mineral deposits building up. Keep an eye on it. If it starts to look sick you can always take it out of the bottle and plant it in a pot in orchid bark.

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  7. Probably the ice cube advice will be effective against rot and algae.

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All your comments are much appreciated and treasured. I wil try to reply to everyone who leaves a comment, but it may take me a few days, especially when I start spending more time in the garden and at the lottie. I know that you will understand :) I am sure that I will also visit your blog if I have not already done so. If you have any specific questions I will either reply to them here or you can email me at : thegreentapestry@gmail.com

Namasté

- Anna.